Hunter Mahan splashes out for a share of second, three shots back. — Reuters pic

ORLANDO, Florida, March 25 — American Spencer Levin, seeking his first PGA Tour title, fired an immaculate six-under-par 66 for a three-shot lead after the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational yesterday.

Levin's bogey-free performance in gusty winds at the Bay Hill course gave him the edge over compatriots Rickie Fowler and Hunter Mahan, who both shot 69.

Tiger Woods, a six-time winner at this event, had four bogeys in a round of 73, failing to hit the fairway once in his opening nine holes.

Woods, who has not won since the Australian Masters in 2009, is looking to hit form ahead of next month's US Masters at Augusta.

Former world No. 1 Phil Mickelson and Britain's Brian Davis and Martin Laird were among a group of 11 players four shots off the pace after shooting rounds of 70.

Levin, who has four top 15 finishes in his last five starts on tour, coped well with a wind that caused plenty of problems for others.

The windy conditions made for some unusually high scoring as only 21 players broke par while 13 were unable to break 80.

"The course is hard anyway and then you throw in a 20-30 miles-per-hour wind and it makes it even more tough," he said.

"I was just hoping for anything around par which would have been a good score but it was a good round, I played solid all day and my putting was really good."

Levin also benefited from some smart short play, chipping in for a birdie on the second and making a 12-footer from the fringe on the sixth.

Those looking for a rising young face to make an impact at Augusta will have been heartened by the performance of the 22-year-old Fowler.

Playing the back nine first, he eagled the par-five 16th before missing key putts at the end as he bogeyed his final two holes.

"I thought I hit two really good par putts but they just didn't want to go in," Fowler, one of the rising talents on the PGA Tour, told reporters.

"But I felt that today was some of the best I've struck all year — I was actually hitting fairways and getting on the green.

"Those putts slipped by but it could have been a really good round versus just a good starting round."

US Open champion Graeme McDowell had a dreadful round, shooting an eight-over-par 80.

A triple bogey on the par-five sixth was the worst moment in a day to forget for the 31-year-old Briton two weeks ahead of the US Masters.

"I haven't been very happy with my game for about four weeks," McDowell said. "This may be the wakeup call I need, you know? So it's a good thing really, a reality check for me." — Reuters

Hero Yuvraj Singh walks off the field as teammate Virat Kohli hugs Suresh Raina in front of Australia's players after their quarter-final match in Ahmedabad, March 24, 2011. — Reuters pic

MUMBAI, March 25 — India delighted their millions of passionate supporters yesterday by evicting defending champions Australia from the World Cup despite briefly threatening to self-destruct in Ahmedabad.

All-rounder Yuvraj Singh was his nation's hero in the second quarter-final, stroking an unbeaten 57 in the five-wicket victory after the middle order had again thrown away their wickets.

In a country obsessed with one-day cricket, the tie against the team seeking a fourth consecutive trophy had dominated the newspapers and the myriad television news channels all week.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting's struggles with the bat provided an absorbing sub-plot, and the prospect of a semi-final against Pakistan in Mohali for the winners next Wednesday added extra spice to the contest.

Ponting responded with a century of great character and resource in a challenging Australian total of 260 for six, which would have been higher had not India produced their best fielding performance of the tournament.

In response, Sachin Tendulkar eased his way to his 94th one-day half century, amid an incessant din at the Sardar Patel Stadium, as the fans readied themselves for the magical 100th international century that has obsessed a nation.

Tendulkar passed 18,000 runs in one-day cricket but fell for 53, and he now has a maximum two innings remaining if he is to reach the landmark during this tournament.

Vibrant Pakistan

Now India must overcome a vibrant Pakistan side growing daily in confidence and competence under the flamboyant Shahid Afridi.

"However we may say that it's just another game, the reality is that whole country wants us to win," said Yuvraj.

Ponting said the teams were similar in style but gave his backing to India.

"I think India will beat Pakistan in the semi-final," he said.

The identity of the other semi-finalists, who will meet in Colombo next Tuesday, will be decided over the next 48 hours.

South Africa are favoured to beat New Zealand in Dhaka today in conditions that will suit their spinners. The 1996 champions Sri Lanka host England in Colombo tomorrow.

England announced yesterday that they had lost all-rounder Michael Yardy, who has flown home after suffering from depression. He will be replaced by the Yorkshire leg-spinning all-rounder Adil Rashid, who represented his country in the 2009 Twenty20 World Cup. — Reuters

MIAMI: Kim Clijsters is planning to avoid Japan over radiation fears since an earthquake and tsunami crippled a nuclear plant there.

Clijsters told Belgian media yesterday that she wouldn't go to the WTA tournament in Tokyo in September nor to one in Beijing the following month.

The WTA released a statement from Clijsters this morning.

"Most importantly, my thoughts and sympathies are with the people in Japan," she said in the statement.

"It's heart-wrenching to see what they're going through right now. Of course the health and safety of anyone traveling to a potentially impacted area is my top priority as well as the WTA's, and I know that the WTA will continue to monitor the situation."

Radiation has seeped into vegetables, raw milk, the water supply and seawater since a magnitude-9 quake and tsunami hit the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant nearly two weeks ago.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said last week that the radiation was unlikely to spread internationally.

During an interview yesterday, Clijsters expressed sympathy for what Japan is going through.

However, she never mentioned in that interview feeling uncomfortable about traveling to the region.

"It's obviously very tough to sit here, especially when it just happened and we were in Indian Wells following everything on the news, and I'm sitting here playing tennis and those people are struggling to stay alive," Clijsters said.

"You're very worried and you feel very sad for the people and you cannot imagine what they're feeling and going through.

"I spoke to (my former doubles partner) Ai Sugiyama and was asking her if she was OK," Clijsters added.

Japanese player Kimiko Date- Krumm, 40, who won her first round match this morning at the US$9 million (RM27.3m) WTA and ATP Masters Miami, admits she's still shocked by what took place in Japan.

Date-Krumm's family is safe and she's started a relief fund to assist victims of the disaster.

Date-Krumm understands Clijsters' anxiety about going to Japan. She's hoping her country will be able to host the event.

"We still have time and, hopefully, we can fix everything and everybody can come to Japan," Date-Krumm said.

"First safety. If it's still not safe I can't push. But if it's 100 per cent safe I hope everybody will come and help Japan."

ORLANDO (Florida): British world No 15 Ian Poulter will have an antihistamine injection before heading to next month's US Masters in a bid to help control a series of allergies.

Poulter, who underwent tests this month that revealed he was allergic to almost all types of grass and trees, said he has suffered from hay fever for as long as he can remember.

"I just wanted really to find out and do the tests to see if there is anything I can take or anything I can do to not be as affected as much as I am," Poulter said this morning ahead of this week's Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.

"I'm probably going to have a kind of anti-histamine injection before I get to Augusta for the Masters next month just to hopefully kick that in, because it's especially bad there."

Poulter also said he will take a serum orally over a number of months to help build up his immune system.

Hay fever has been something Poulter, 35, has had to deal with throughout his career, particularly at the heavily-wooded Augusta National course.

"Augusta National has very strong pollen. The pine is very, very strong. You see it on the car when you come out. If you play in the morning and you come out in the morning, the whole windscreen is covered in pollen," said Poulter.

"Wearing sunglasses for me is a huge plus when it is very, very strong like that, because if it's all over the windscreen and you're not wearing glasses, it's going to be in your eyes. So they have definitely helped. But I still get affected, so I take eyedrops and tablets."

Poulter used to wear contact lenses, which added to his eye problems, but he underwent laser surgery three years ago.

Meanwhile, Tiger Woods says he is missing his late father's input into his game but has returned to his methods in a bid to sharpen up his putting.

Woods, without a win since the Australian Masters in November 2009, used to count putting as one of the strongest points of a game which has brought him 14 Major titles but his reliability on the green has faded of late.

So the former world No 1 says he has been revisiting the lessons learned from his father Earl, who died in 2006.

"I went back to all of my old stuff that my dad and I used to work on and that's when I felt that my stroke started becoming more sound, more solid, my speed became better," Woods said.

"My dad really knew my stroke. And I miss him for a lot more reasons than just the putting, but as far as bouncing ideas off of him and what I was feeling and what he would say, I do miss that, certainly."

Woods said it is helpful that his father's suggestions for his putting release have the same fundamentals as what he is working on now in other parts of his game with Canadian swing coach Sean Foley.

"It's exactly the same. What Foley is trying to get me to do with my full swing and how he wants me to release it (is) how I used to release my putter. That's one of the reasons why I've gone back to my old stuff that my dad and I used to work on, and it feels natural, because I've done it for so long. I just got away from it and now I'm going back to it."

Woods, who plays the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill this week before going into full preparation for next month's US Masters, said his lack of consistency in putting dates back further than his recent troubles.

Clijsters told Belgian media on Tuesday that she wouldn't go to the WTA tournament in Tokyo in September nor to one in Beijing the following month. The WTA released a statement from Clijsters on Wednesday.

"Most importantly, my thoughts and sympathies are with the people in Japan," she said in the statement. "It's heart-wrenching to see what they're going through right now. Of course the health and safety of anyone traveling to a potentially impacted area is my top priority as well as the WTA's, and I know that the WTA will continue to monitor the situation."

Radiation has seeped into vegetables, raw milk, the water supply and seawater since a magnitude-9 quake and tsunami hit the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant nearly two weeks ago.

The World Health Organization said last week that the radiation was unlikely to spread internationally.

During an interview in English on Tuesday, Clijsters expressed sympathy for what Japan is going through. However, she never mentioned in that interview feeling uncomfortable about traveling to the region.

"It's obviously very tough to sit here, especially when it just happened and we were in Indian Wells following everything on the news, and I'm sitting here playing tennis and those people are struggling to stay alive," Clijsters said. "You're very worried and you feel very sad for the people and you cannot imagine what they're feeling and going through.

"I spoke to (my former doubles partner) Ai Sugiyama and was asking her if she was OK," Clijsters added.

Japanese player Kimiko Date-Krumm, 40, who won her first round match on Wednesday at the Sony Ericsson Open, admits she's still shocked by what took place in Japan. Date-Krumm's family is safe and she's started a relief fund to assist victims of the disaster.

Date-Krumm understands Clijsters' anxiety about going to Japan. She's hoping her country will be able to host the event.

"We still have time and, hopefully, we can fix everything and everybody can come to Japan," Date-Krumm said. "First safety. If it's still not safe I can't push. But if it's 100 percent safe I hope everybody will come and help Japan."

Roger Federer and Andy Roddick said Wednesday that they haven't given any thought to whether they will play in the Tokyo event in October.

Federer said, "It hasn't even crossed my mind yet. I will only think about that when the situation is right in front of me. But we'll get the green light or not from someone else. At the end of the day you always have to take your own decision, but I don't think it's going to be a problem by then, to be honest."

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - New Formula One tire supplier Pirelli believes the introduction of faster-wearing tires to the sport should make strategy and tactics a major factor in deciding Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has directed Pirelli - which replaces Bridgestone as the official F1 tire manufacturer from this season after a 20-year absence - to create a compound that will force two to three pit stops per race and create the tire degradation that will result in cars traveling at different speeds and therefore fostering more overtaking.

Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery told The AP on Thursday that the Italian manufacturer has clear instructions to reintroduce some "movement and spectacle" to the sport.

While faster-wearing tires had been met with a mixed response from drivers and teams, Hembery said they had the potential to take F1 back to the years when a good strategy had the ability to beat a good car.

"It would be fantastic for the sport if maybe some of the teams not normally in the top four come up with a strategy that allows them to get on the podium, and maybe cause a mini upset," he said.

"People in the last few years have forgotten that strategy was an integral part of the sport," he added. "If you take the example of Michael Schumacher and Ross Brawn (at Ferrari), they were the experts almost at race strategy, and won many a race because of a good call and coming in for either a fuel stop or tire change, and those are factors that will become important again."

Teams tried the new tires during preseason testing, and opinions ranged from world champion Sebastian Vettel's prediction they will add excitement to the race, to that of his Red Bull team owner Dietrich Mateschitz who described them as a "catastrophe."

While the durability of Bridgestone's tires - even the soft compounds were capable of doing an entire race - had reduced the role of tire strategy, some critics had said the new Pirelli rubber had lurched in the other direction to where it may be too important.

"Clearly change is often something that causes people to maybe get excited, but at the end of the day what we've said to them is 'look everybody has the same, somebody on Sunday will be on top of the podium as the first winner on Pirelli tires in 20 years, drinking champagne and very happy.' So they have to be sure they're the ones," Hembery said.

What makes this year different to the Schumacher-Brawn era at Ferrari is the absence of refueling, which makes the number and timing of pit stops entirely about tire strategy.

Hembery said teams preparing for Sunday's race will decide between a two-stop or perhaps a three-stop strategy. They will also need to decide whether to spend more time on the softer 'option' tire or the harder 'prime' tire for longer - "balancing absolute performance with the ability to stay on the track longer."

"They're also going to have to understand the evolution of the track over the weekend, which is something that is an unknown for most of them because testing was done in very cold weather and with relatively small numbers of cars," he said.

Melbourne's Albert Park track - which hosts the season-opening race after the Bahrain GP was canceled due to civil unrest - was not Pirelli's ideal first race back in F1.

"We would have liked to have gone to Bahrain to be perfectly honest," Hembery said. "We've done a lot of testing there and have a lot of data, and it's a very good representative circuit for a tire maker in the sense that it can be hot but it can also be very abrasive.

"Melbourne brings a lot of factors. The conditions can change rapidly here. It's an event where you could have 20 degrees (Celsius; 68 degrees Fahrenheit) and rain, up to almost 40 degrees (104 degrees Fahrenheit) track temperature. It's very challenging from that point of view."

Melbourne is forecast to have cool and cloudy weather over the race weekend, with the chance of occasional showers.